A Package for Mrs. Jewls
"A Package for Mrs. Jewls" is the first chapter of Wayside School is Falling Down. Synopsis Louis has to carry a heavy package to Mrs. Jewls's class. Plot This chapter opens with Louis frowning as he looks at the messy schoolyard, covered with pencils and sheets of paper. He doesn't want to pick it up, because that's not his job, but ultimately does it, because he doesn't want the kids to play on a messy playground. However, he is soon interrupted by a man with big bushy hair driving a delivery truck. He says he has a package for Mrs. Jewls, and Louis offers to take it, but the deliveryman notes he has to take it to Mrs. Jewls. Louis, knowing the long way up and how much the children hate being interrupted when they're learning, says he's Mrs. Jewls and takes the package. The package is so large, he can hardly see anything, but fortunately, he knows that Mrs. Jewls's class is straight up. The chapter notes that when Wayside School was built, it was built thirty stories tall, and Mrs. Jewls's class was on the top floor. It's Louis's favorite class. He starts up the stairs, because Wayside School has no elevators. There are also stairs downstairs, to the basement, but no one goes there. There are dead rats living in the basement. The box squished up against his nose, but even then, he can still smell Miss Mush preparing her Mushroom Surprise. He continues up the stairs, as sore as he may be, because he believes the package could be important. He steps up easily from the eighteenth story to the twentieth, because there is no nineteenth story. The book mentions that Miss Zarves teaches the nineteenth story and there is no Miss Zarves. At last, he reaches the thirtieth story and knocks on the door with his head. Mrs. Jewls was teaching her class about gravity when Louis knocked, and invites him to come in, but Louis can't because his hands are full. Mrs. Jewls asks who wants to open the door for Louis, and everyone raises their hands, because they love to be interrupted when they are working. Mrs. Jewls decides that they can hold a spelling bee to open the door, and everyone likes the idea. Most students spell different synonymous words than the ones given, but Mrs. Jewls is fine with that. Meanwhile, Louis feels his arms going numb until John finally opens the door. Louis starts inside, but John wants to shake his hand. Louis briefly shuffles the box to one arm to shake his hand, then quickly grabs it with both again. Louis asks where Mrs. Jewls wants the box, but Mrs. Jewls points that he can't put it down, because they might accidentally open the box the wrong way. So Mrs. Jewls stands on a nearby chair as she opens up the box, and finds a computer inside. Everybody boos, noting that if they have to do work faster, that means they'll get more assignments every day. Mrs. Jewls has Louis place the computer on the counter as he falls over, then Mrs. Jewls demonstrates how to use it. She pushes the computer out the window as part of her lesson on gravity, and the class watches it smash against the sidewalk. She thanks Louis, saying they were trying to work with pencils and paper all day, but the computer was a lot faster. Characters *Louis *Deliveryman (debut) *Mrs. Jewls *Miss Mush (mentioned) *Miss Zarves (mentioned) *Allison *Jason *Jenny *John *Eric Bacon *Terrence *Maurecia *Todd *Sharie (mentioned) *Joe Trivia *This is the first chapter of Wayside School is Falling Down. Gallery A Package for Mrs. Jewls 1989.jpg|Joel Schick illustration A Package for Mrs. Jewls 2003.jpg|Adam McCauley illustration Foreign editions A Package for Mrs. Jewls Illustration.jpg|Peter Allen illustration (UK) A Package for Mrs. Jewls Kitamura.png|Satoshi Kitamura illustration (Japan) Category:Wayside School is Falling Down chapters Category:Book chapters